“_21st._—The air is full of wars and rumours of war. Many of our villagers keep watch on their own account all night. Yesterday, carriers that were sent from Blantyre with food for the Livingstonia workmen, returned as they came to a scene of bloodshed. Chelomoni, who had come up the road, was the first to enlighten us on the subject. He said Mkanda wanted to attack the carriers belonging to Blantyre. Ten men went armed with guns. They saw a party carrying maize, and immediately fired on them. One man received a bullet in the forehead; another fell with a severe wound. If Mkanda did want to attack the Blantyre people he had played himself a clever trick. The attacked party were, surely enough, carrying maize, as well as our people, but they had come from Mkanda’s own district, and were going to sell their maize for salt at the Lower Chiri. “It is probable that Mkanda wanted to strike a blow at Blantyre by this raid. The leader was a headman of his that has had some provocation. About a week ago he is reported to have lost five slaves in this way:—The traffic has been so brisk that they had not slave-sticks ready for their victims; so this headman made the slaves fast by tying. Some of the slaves, however, had strong teeth; and when one is liberated he is not always forgetful of his companions. The result was that they escaped and started for Blantyre. But they were not a match for the pursuers that tracked their steps. They were all overtaken and slain, when but half-way. “The Arab slave-traders are clever men and show much tact in managing the chiefs. They are carrying on their work between our two mission stations. Their popularity is due to the fact that they deal in rum and powder which the natives cannot get elsewhere. “_23rd._—Slave refugees have come in. Those traders have the whole country in a perfect uproar. “_29th._—I had a walk with ‘John’ to Ndilande. At every village we have the pleasure now of meeting some of our scholars spending the Saturday holiday at home. They are among the first to greet us. There is six times as much cultivation here as there was the first time I saw the district. “_8th December._—At Zomba there are four thousand people who wish to be received under ‘English’ protection. Several of these are at present kidnapped to make up the Arab caravans. We all feel as if we should like to go and put these Arabs in stocks. We should be told, however, and truly,[7] that it was no business of ours to interfere. We wish that some civil power would take the matter up.” About the end of the year Mr. Buchanan wrote:—